How Easy is it to Look After a Guinea Pig? 17 Facts That Will Make You Love Rats Even More. Rats have excellent memories. Yes, rats are squeak-y clean! Rats find it easier to distinguish moving objects, and will sometimes sway when checking out their surroundings in an attempt to help their vision to pick out shapes from the background. Rats Can’t Vomit. Decorate their cage with hammocks and hideaways (sometimes called igloos) so they have a place to kick back, if needed. 4 months , 5 month and 1 yr, Russian Dwarf Hamster, Cage, and Accessories. Rats tend to have certain favourite spots to be scratched and petted, including their ears, sides of the head and along the spine. Rats don’t have particularly good eyesight, and this is particularly true of rats with pink or red eyes. So some people might consider wild rats to be a bit of a pest, but domestic rats can make really great pets. Read on to learn more. Just goes to show that they're the greatest pets ever. Once they learn a navigation route, they won’t forget it. They can fit in amazingly small spaces Rats are highly attuned to picking up negative emotions from their handlers, such as stress, tension or fear. If you want to avoid the potential of causing kidney, liver and respiratory problems in your pets, stick to hard wood shavings that are recommended as safe for rats, or use another medium entirely such as paper. It is a good idea to keep your rat’s enclosure in a room of the home with a minimum of electrical devices such as kitchen equipment, TV’s or other objects, as rats are very sensitive to the electromagnetic fields that such equipment gives off.   Most pet rats are actually a type of rat called a Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus). 10) A single rat can leave 25,000 droppings a year – poo–ey! After this time, the rats will slowly stop playing in this way as they become more mature. Baby rats will pursue each other around the cage, wrestling and play fighting. Rats’ teeth grow throughout their lives; they do not stop once they reach a certain length! Pet Rat Facts . Male rats are usually slightly larger than females, and have slightly harsher fur. Domestic rats are affectionate, clean, sensitive and easy to train. Take a look at our fun facts below. The base of the tail can be sensitive in some rats, so avoid this spot! 1. How to Look After a Hairless Guinea Pig (Skinny Pig). A Norway rat body is typically nine to eleven inches long. Guinea pigs for sale. © Copyright - Pets4Homes.co.uk (2005 - 2020) - Pet Media Ltd, Fun & Interesting Facts About Guinea Pigs, Foods That Are, and Are Not Safe for a Pet Rat. But you can actually adopt a homeless pet rat from a rehoming shelter or charity, much as you can with a cat or a dog. Females tend to be more active and busy than males, and males are more likely to relax and sit in your lap while you stroke them! Rats are very sociable In the wild rats live in family groups, and pet rats should be no different. This is often accompanied by vibrating eyes. Average lifespan of a pet rat is 18 to 36 months. Unlike humans, rats lack the ability to vomit… Their tail is an additional seven to nine inches long. If you’re in the market for a pet rat, your first port of call is likely to be the pet shop or online classified adverts. Have something to say? When rats are happy or playing, they … They’re also great swimmers, able to hold their breath for several minutes. But rats may also grind their teeth when they are upset or stressed to try to sooth themselves, which is again similar behaviour to cats and purring! These can upset your rat, and cause them to become unhappy and agitated. Other names for a Norway rat are common rat, brown rat, street rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norwegian rat, or wharf rat. These rodents will typically keep their digs pretty clean. Grinding the teeth is usually a sign of contentment and relaxation, much like cats and purring. They need company so it’s best to get them in pairs or more - more is preferable to avoid a lone survivor if one dies unexpectedly, and they will go through a period of mourning when one of their family dies. They’re known to be clever and affectionate pets and anyone who has pet rats will definitely be singing their praises! Pet rats should live in large, vertical cages, because they like to climb. Help us by answering a short survey. They enjoy toys, especially the kind that can be chewed and contain hidden treats. 9) Rats’ long tails are used for balance and to keep themselves cool – they can direct some of their body heat out through them! Wood shavings for bedding should not be made of wood such as pine or cedar, as these give off a product called phenols, which are toxic to rats. What did you think of our fab facts about rats? But did you know that rats grind their teeth too? Feeding your rat the right foods to keep their teeth at a comfortable length is important, as is giving them toys that they can use to wear their teeth down. Rubbing a rat's belly like you would a dog's isn't recommended until the rat trusts you and is very comfortable with you. Fact #1: Rats have touchy tummies and whiskers. Two male rats may fight if introduced when adult, but if raised together as friends from a young age, are much more likely to get along. Potential rat owners are not always aware of this, so it is definitely worth checking out charities and adoption ads before you make a purchase. Want to learn a bit more about our rodent friends? However, rats can, on occasion, regurgitate their food, when partially digested food flows back up the oesophagus. Rats are highly social animals that form complex social groups with other rats, and that will tend to be lonely and bored if housed alone. Then leave your comments. For how misunderstood they are, rats as pets make amazing companions for a lot of different types of people and living situations. Can you keep a fennec fox in the UK as a pet? Tell us what features and improvements you would like to see on Pets4Homes. It is wise to keep at least two rats together, with same-sex pairings unless you are planning for babies! Let us know by leaving a comment, below! 1. Once your rat knows you well and trusts you, they may even like you to stroke their tummy! Some Fun And Interesting Facts About Rats Rats make for one of the most rewarding small pets to own, as they are highly intelligent, interesting little animals that often bond strongly with their owners, and make for excellent companions that are rather more low maintenance than cats or dogs. Rats make for one of the most rewarding small pets to own, as they are highly intelligent, interesting little animals that often bond strongly with their owners, and make for excellent companions that are rather more low maintenance than cats or dogs. Do you like this article? 1. Looking for free pet advice for your Rodent? Without companionship rats tend to become lonely and depressed. Whether you are considering getting a pet rat for yourself or your child or already keep one or more of these lovely little rodents, this article will cover some fun and interesting facts about pet rats that you might not already know! It is literally impossible for a rat to vomit, because they have a particularly strong wall between the stomach and the oesophagus. Your rat should be used to people and well socialised in order to build up a trust and relationship with you, and assuming that this is achieved, they usually very much like getting attention! This means that your rat may feel insecure or upset if you handle them when you are in a bad mood, so stick to picking them up when you’re feeling good! Here are some interesting facts about rats that you may not be aware of! This behaviour starts at around two to three weeks of age, and peaks when the rats are around a month old. Amazing Facts About the Rat. Contrary to what many people believe, pet rats are not the dirty, disease-infested creatures of folklore. When happy, rats have been observed to chatter or grind their teeth. Rats take care of injured and sick rats in their group.

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